A closer look at “Mazda's Forgotten 1980s Concept: A Rectangular Steering Wheel With a CRT Screen and a Belt”, exactly as the source publishes it. Long before Tesla's yoke or Lexus's steer-by-wire, Mazda and Italian design house Bertone collaborated on one of the most radical steering wheel concepts ever shown: a rectangular unit with a built-in CRT screen and a belt-driven mechanism. The idea surfaced in the 1980s, an era when automakers were The idea surfaced in the 1980s, an era when automakers were experimenting with digital dashboards and unconventional controls, but this design took things to another level.
The rectangular shape challenged the fundamental ergonomics of driving, while the CRT screen hinted at a future where the wheel could display information directly in the driver's line of sight. The belt, likely part of a drive-by-wire or adjustable steering ratio system, suggested a rethinking of how steering inputs could be transmitted. The full version stays on the original page, which this listing opens directly.